In packaging of containers having closures thereon, it has been common to provide tamper indicating packages wherein the tamper indicating band is connected to the closure along the weakened line provided by a plurality of bridges and interengaging means between the band and the container are such that when the closure is unthreaded from the container, the band is severed along the bridge portions to indicate that the closure has been tampered with.
One recently patented example can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,918, issued to Jean Grussen on July 26, 1983. In this patent a threaded closure carries a hold ring that is joined to the bottom of the cap skirt by a series of breakable tabs and the hold ring has an inside diameter that is at least equal to the outside diameter of the cap skirt. A plurality of lock lugs supported on the ring are inclined upwardly and inwardly and are intended to hook behind a collar or mating ring on the container neck to prevent the hold ring from being lifted off the container neck when the cap is unscrewed. An unbreakable flange is provided between the cap skirt and the ring and serves as a hinge for the cap when it is unscrewed.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 623,659, filed June 22, 1984, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,844, having a common assignee with the present application, there is disclosed and claimed an arrangement wherein a continuous annular flange extends from the lower end of the tamper indicating band and is inclined upwardly and inwardly. Such an arrangement is effective but has the disadvantage in that continuous flange requires excessive force to apply the closure to the container.
Accordingly, among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a tamper indicating band with an improved arrangement for interengaging the closure with the container so that when the closure is removed the tamper indicating band remains on the container.
In accordance with the invention, the continuous annular flange is provided with a plurality of segments which extend from one bridge and ends at the next bridge and the leading edge of each segment is cut to an angle of about 30.degree. to facilitate application of the closure.